The Battle of Saratoga was the 1777 American victory widely considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War.
The Saratoga campaign ended when British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army to American forces on October 17, 1777. The campaign included major clashes at Freeman’s Farm and Bemis Heights in New York.
The victory stopped Britain’s plan to divide New England from the other American colonies. It also demonstrated that the Continental Army could defeat a major British force in a sustained campaign.
Saratoga helped persuade France to openly support the American cause. France formally allied with the United States in 1778, providing troops, naval power, money, and supplies. The French alliance was a major factor in the eventual American victory at Yorktown.
Saratoga is sometimes confused with Yorktown, the later 1781 victory that effectively ended major fighting. Saratoga was not the final battle, but its diplomatic consequences made it a decisive milestone on the road to independence.